Bull and Son: A Story of Slowing Down and Enjoying Life

Sometime when I was a junior in high school, I was at an airport with my mom, dad, and Himar, the foreign exchange student who stayed with us that academic year. It was getting close to boarding time, and Himar and I were both almost jumping up and down with excitement.

“They’re boarding, they’re boarding! We need to get in line!” both of us exclaimed.

My father told us to come over and sit down, and that he had a story to tell us. Once we were seated, after some resistance of course, he began the story.

“One day there was a bull and his son standing on top of a hill, looking down on a valley of about a hundred grazing cows. The bull calf was so excited by this sight, that it was jumping up and down ecstatically barely containing itself. He turned to his father and shouted, ‘DAD! DAD! Let’s run down there and f*** one of those cows!’

“After a brief pause, the bull slowly turned his head toward his young son, looked him in the eye and said, ‘No son. Let’s walk down there. And f*** ’em all.'”

This story has come to mind time and time again over the 24 years since I’ve heard it. It constantly reminds me that there really isn’t anything to get all worked up about.

As the world rushes by, getting itself in a bigger and bigger damned hurry, just let it. Slow down, and enjoy life slowly and methodically, while others frantically and foolishly race themselves toward the finish.

Featured Photo of this post was found at ResearchGate and is titled “A Charollais bull and calf” (courtesy of Darren Todd, SRUC) .

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Published by Jason Shaw

My hobbies include cycling and running, home brewing, coffee roasting, reading, traveling, and problem solving. Most recently, I've immersed myself into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I obviously like to write, too, and want to share some of my experiences and knowledge with the world.
View all posts by Jason Shaw